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The Gulf News: Cleric leads thousands towards Islamabad

Qadri calls for people to back “a historic march to bring genuine democracy”

By Mohsin Ali, CorrespondentPublished: 18:23 January 14, 2013

Sohawa/Islamabad: Leading thousands of supporters in a vehicular caravan, Tehreek
Minhaj Ul Quran (TMQ) chief Dr. Tahirul Qadri arrived on Monday evening in the vicinity
of Islamabad for a planned sit-in in a bid to force the government to accept their
electoral reforms agenda.

Billed as a ‘long march’ by the organisers, the procession set off from Lahore
on Sunday morning on the 300-kilometre journey to the national capital. The convoy
swelled en route as more people joined and Qadri addressed wayside gatherings.

Qadri made impassioned appeals to people to back what he called a “historic,
revolutionary march for bringing about genuine democracy and ridding the country
from the stranglehold of a corrupt system”.

He is demanding an honest, non-political and competent caretaker government through
consultation with the military and the judiciary; reconstitution of the Election
Commission and strict implementation of the eligibility criteria for election candidates
laid in Articles 62 and 63 of Pakistan’s constitution.

The TMQ leader repeatedly declared, as the convoy approached Islamabad, that
the sit-in would continue until its aim was achieved.

The ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the main opposition Pakistan Muslim
League-N, which is in power in the most populous Punjab province, said Qadri was
out to force postponement of general election now only a few months away and thus
derail democracy.

Amid raging war of words between march sponsors and their opponents and despite
the government’s warnings about possible terrorist attack, the TMQ rally-on-wheels
encountered no trouble on the way. The procession was accompanied by a crane to
remove any heavy obstacles.

The Punjab government deployed police in large numbers to provide security for
the marchers while there were clear indications that the federal interior ministry
was unlikely to order police to stop their entry into Islamabad, apparently to avoid
any violence.

Ahead of the arrival of the Qadri-led procession, thousands of supporters had
gathered on Jinnah Avenue in Islamabad, as workers erected a platform for the expected
address by the TMQ supremo.

Despite being maligned by opponents over his dual Canadian-Pakistan nationality
and accused of being the puppet of some “secret hands”, Qadri’s agenda has been
morally supported by the Pakistan Tehreek Insaaf of Imran Khan and two ruling party
allies — Muttahida Qaumi Movement and the Q faction of the Pakistan Muslims.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik, speaking to media after an aerial view of the
TMQ march, said not more than 25,000 were in the procession, while TMQ boasted the
number was in the hundreds of thousands.

Malik said the TMQ should realise his mistake and “accept” that his campaign
was doomed to fail.

According to Islamabad administration, an understanding has been reached with
TMQ under which the marchers will remain within the mutually decided area.

The sensitive ‘red zone’ where the parliament, the presidency and other key government
buildings are located has already been sealed by thousands of police with barbed
wire fences and containers blocking the roads.